Monday, August 3, 2009

Day 672 - Poll Results & New Poll

Last week, I asked whether or not an old lady was correct in telling me I should allow Andrew to "act his age." Sixty-two percent of you thought the old lady should've kept her mouth shut just like the casket she was laying in. Twenty-five percent thought the old lady was correct and I should've allowed Andrew to run rampant in a large crowd where he could've got kidnapped, hit by a car, or eaten by a bear. I hope it's not too obvious, but I think the old lady was wrong.

I know I'm a new parent and will always be a new parent because every step of the way will be a new experience for me. But I've got to do what I think is in the best interest of the kids. So if I think it is the best interest of Andrew for me to grab him by his arm and tell him not to run away from me in a crowd, so be it. And if I also think it is the best interest of Andrew for me to buy him a 52" Sony LCD television and a set of 7.1 surround speakers, so be it again.

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This past weekend, Lisa's family was here in Los Angeles visiting. They haven't seen the kids since Christmas so they were quite surprised to see how large they have grown...not to mention how muscular I have become with my massive six-pack (Hint: If you want people to notice your abs, walk around with a tube top.).

In addition to the surprise of how the kids have developed (as well as my biceps), Lisa's family noticed the beginnings of the terrible twos in Emma and Andrew. The kids say no, get angry, and protest. When Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse Auntie Susan noticed that Emma was taking Andrew's toys and throwing it into a Pack-n-Play out of reach, she decided to give Emma a time out. Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse Auntie Susan picked Emma up, placed her in a corner of the room, and gave her a time-out.

Neither Lisa or I are against giving our kids time-outs, but do you think the kids are too young to understand what a time-out is? Is it good to start it now? Should we use simpler reprimands like "No" and "What the hell were you thinking?" Or should we just give up now because we better get used to the kids getting the final word?